Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to fiber optic cable assemblies, such as those that include network access points where a communication element of a distribution cable is optically connected to a communication element of a tether cable that branches off from the distribution cable.
Some cable assemblies with network access points use a splice to connect optical fibers from a tether cable to optical fibers of a distribution cable. The optical fibers route signals from the distribution cable through the tether cable to a connector on an opposing end thereof. Typically excess length of the optical fibers of the tether cable is stored in a cavity within the network access point assembly. The excess fiber length allows the tether cable to be stretched and bent, where the excess fiber length then fills into the tether cable, as needed, to alleviate tension in the optical fiber and splice as a result of fiber movement resulting from the stretching and bending. However, for many cable assemblies the amount of excess optical fiber length stored in the cavity is related to the length of the respective tether cable. Longer tether cables require a greater amount of excess fiber length to compensate for stretching and a correspondingly longer cavity. This variation in cable assembly structure leads to manufacturing inefficiency and opens the door to potential manufacturing and design challenges, such as calculation of the amount of excess optical fiber length to be stored in the cavity.
A need exists for a fiber optic cable assembly, including a network access point, with structure or attributes that allow for a uniform length of excess fiber length to be stored in the cavity of a network access assembly without regard to the length of an associated tether cable.